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First-hand account of a Darwin Award candidate...

We were talking at work today about the pitfalls of owning rental property, and one co-worker was relating the trials and tribulations of a friend of his, who always had bad luck with tenants.

There was one couple in particular who were always drunk, were always entertaining drunken friends, and never paid their rent. After successfully going through the proper legal channels to get them evicted, moving day arrives. So couple celebrates the move by...you guessed it...getting drunk with their drunken friends. So drunk husband decides to get the couch out of the appartment by tying one end of a rope to the couch, the other end of the rope to his waist, and lowering it from 3rd floor balcony. Naturally, couch goes over, drunk husband goes over, crashes through the first floor porch, and head hits pavement. End of drunk husband.

So not only does the landlord have to have balcony and porch rebuilt (according to really strict specifications imposed by the city) but....wait for it... drunk wife sues landlord and wins a million dollar settlement.

Thanks. I wasn't doubting your story, just wanted to read more about it.

Don't worry, I actually wouldn't have been suprised (or offended) if anyone doubted the story. It does come from a reliable source. It be true.

Isn't it funny how the 'Net has changed the whole idea of what's news? Back in the day a lot of weird, crazy stuff was happening but wasn't necessarily reported...all you had was the daily paper, the 6pm and 11pm news. Limited time; limited space. Now, you've got news sites, blog sites, etc., etc., that must be updated every five minutes to remain relevant...so everything becomes news.

Man drowns trying to save $2 swim noodle

Yes, folks, it's that time of year again... Welcome to another exciting, stupendous ceremony honoring this year's DARWIN AWARDS.
First up for your consideration, a husband, father (and I assume, son and brother), who gave his all to save a cheap flotation device...

A relaxing day on Lake Lillinonah turned into a nightmare for two families from Sandy Hook Monday, after friend, father and husband William Donovan disappeared while chasing after a flotation noodle in Barkwood Falls Cove, friends said.

Donovan, his wife, their daughter and two other families were on a boat anchored off of Cove Road in Brookfield at 2:30 p.m., Monday, when Donovan spotted a flotation noodle drifting away and jumped in to chase after it, said his friend and the boat's owner, Mark Streck, who was on the vessel with his own family as well as that of Donovan's brother-in-law.

Donovan entered the water fine, according to Streck, who saw him swimming after the noodle, feet away. Streck said that he turned his attention back to the kids for a moment and when he looked back, Donovan was gone. "Everyone was swimming around with their vests on, trying to pet the ducks," Streck said, piecing the minutes back together at his home the next day. "I turned back and Billy was gone," he said, adding later that the noodle was still floating where it had been.

The families immediately began a frantic search and were aided by a nearby boat and then a passing kayaker, as well, but to no avail.
Brookfield emergency responders and the Lake Lillinonah Authority patrol boat were on the scene quickly and began the search, assisted by the Newtown Underwater Search and Rescue (NUSAR) SCUBA team, who arrived on scene shortly after 3 p.m., and the Bridgewater Volunteer Fire Department.
Underwater teams from Brookfield and Newtown scoured the cove for two hours, but were unable to locate Donovan. The water was murky and the area was weedy and featured a stumpy bottom, according to NUSAR officials, which made the search difficult for the dive teams.

State Police arrived on scene after 5 p.m. with a side-scan sonar equipped boat and were able to find Donovan's body at 7:20 p.m., approximately 70 feet from the shoreline, in a water depth of about eight to 10 feet, according to Brookfield Police.

Donovan was in excellent physical condition, according to Streck, a longtime friend and neighbor of Donovan's, who would frequent the gym with him. Donovan jogged regularly, Streck said, and had not consumed any alcohol that day. Streck also pointed out that Donovan was a strong swimmer whose parents owned a house on Lake Lillinonah when he was a kid.
"Literally, he was right there," Streck said, pointing a few yards out into the street, still perplexed by the sudden tragedy, "It couldn't have been more than a few minutes."

The medical examiner's report is expected Wednesday afternoon (July 7). The Donovan family declined to comment at this time.

The 37-year-old Sandy Hook man whose body was found on Monday by state police in Lake Lillinonah drowned, according to the medical examiner.
William Donovan, 37, disappeared suddenly while swimming after a flotation noodle at about 2:30 p.m. near the boat of friend and neighbor Mark Streck.
Donovan died from asphyxia of the lungs due to drowning, the medical examiner ruled Wednesday. There were no abrasions that would signify he was struck and nothing in autopsy suggested the incident was anything other than an accident, the medical examiner said.

Donovan, his family, his brother-in-law and his children and Streck and his family were enjoying the afternoon in Barkwood Falls Cove in Brookfield when Donovan jumped into the water to chase after a flotation toy that was drifting away, friends said. While no one was looking, he disappeared below the surface of the water.

Brookfield rescue teams and Newtown dive teams scanned the lake floor looking for Donovan while Lake Lillinonah Authority, Bridgewater and Candlewood Fire Company patrol boats assisted from the surface.
At approximately 5 p.m., State Police arrived on the scene with a side-scan sonar device and were able to locate the body at 7:20 p.m. The body was discovered 70 feet from the shore, in eight to 10 feet of water, according to Brookfield Police.

Donovan was physically healthy, exercised regularly, was a good swimmer and had not had any alcohol that day, friends said.

I'm not gonna vote for this one. Lord only knows what happened to him, but I probably would have swam out to get the noodle/float/ball/whatever as well. It seemed an easy swim and if he was a good swimmer and not drinking...this just seems to me to be more of a freak accident.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Lake Lillinonah is a man-made lake with a maximum depth of 110 feet, according to its website, and is part of a RIVER (there are several deep dammed lakes on the Housatonic, including Lake Zoar), where, I imagine, there are undertows. NOT a nice placid little pond, or a place where one should take unnecessary risk.
You risk your life to save a CHILD, not his/her toy.
People were wearing life vests just to check out the ducks. Chap may not have been drunk, but he was overconfident just the same.

What do you do with noodles anyway? I've seen kids hit eat other with them. And down here in Deliverance, folks cut them up and use them to hold their trot lines. That's it.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

What do you do with noodles anyway? I've seen kids hit eat other with them. And down here in Deliverance, folks cut them up and use them to hold their trot lines. That's it.

As a certified carseat tech, I can tell you that the use of 1-3 shortened noodles (taped in a bundle if necessary) is approved to act as a prop in achieving the proper recline angle of a rear-facing carseat. Us techs stock up on them during the summer to last year round. I've been asked why I have pool noodles in my van when we don't have a pool.

I haven't looked at the Darwin page lately , but surely that couple who just took a shag on the railway tracks must make it on there ? She died, he lost his legs .He said they were so overcome with passion , the added excitement of doing it on a train track overcame them .I wonder who came first ?!

I haven't looked at the Darwin page lately , but surely that couple who just took a shag on the railway tracks must make it on there ? She died, he lost his legs .He said they were so overcome with passion , the added excitement of doing it on a train track overcame them .I wonder who came first ?!

Probably the train.

A faulty hypothesis forming:A German scientist using Iranian physics and French mathematics.

Kentucky had a major ice storm in 2009 that basically crippled the central part of the state. We didn't have electricity at home for five days and we were the lucky ones. People were buying every available generator in a five county radius. There was a local woman who was worried that someone would steal her generator, which is understandable, so she kept it running indoors. Using gas powered generators indoors isn't too brilliant of an idea and she died from it. Darwin indeed.

Ugh! That damn storm was killer! I think that's when we got our generator. Every damn year when the first snow falls people lose their minds and act like they have never before driven a car. Hate the winter. Fall all year please.

Ugh! That damn storm was killer! I think that's when we got our generator. Every damn year when the first snow falls people lose their minds and act like they have never before driven a car. Hate the winter. Fall all year please.

I would love Fall weather all year long. I was on FAD (imagine that) reading about Joan Crawford when the electricity went out. Businesses that sold generators were price gouging the hell out of people. The majority of people around here can't drive worth a shit no matter what condition the roads are in.

Same here. Last year a friend of mine had his generator stolen by a guy who rented his house. The guy moved across town and now everyone including my friend knows where he lives. A real genius, that one. The thief also has warrants out for his arrest. And not penny ante stuff from what I understand. And my friend who owns the house still gets the guy's mail. All from courts. So occasionally my friend will call the cops or whichever court is looking for the guy and let them know his new address. My friend is also a 78 year-old man so there will be none of the usual ass kicking that goes on around here due to stuff like this. He just keeps getting" magically" picked up by the cops constantly, hahaha. Only a child molester is a lower form of life than a generator thief around here.